Moving On
by JuPMod
Summary: J, J&P (New Life series) As the crew prepares for Voyager's first wedding, which marks a turning point for Janeway, the ship reaches Borg space.


Author's note: For those who remembered my note, from the first version   
of "Love is Forever" I posted back in March '97, I stated that in the   
New Life timeline, Voyager never encountered the Borg. Just say I take   
that note back, when I realized I could follow some of the TV episodes   
without ruining the New Life timeline.  
The following story is the New Life timeline's version of   
Voyager's Borg encounter. It's definitely not close to "Scorpion", so   
don't expect similarities.  
  
Disclaimers: Star Trek: Voyager is owned by Paramount Inc.  
This story is owned by George Padovan. This story can be archived in  
the ASC archive, but will need the owner's permission before archiving   
anywhere else - archive or web page. This story is made for a non-  
profit use - reading for fun, so I'm not in any way doing any   
infringement on Paramount, Viacom, etc. I'm just borrowing the Trek   
characters, ship, universe, etc. to play around in my head. (grin) All   
feedback (comments, compliments, *creative* or helpful crit, except for   
flames) is welcome at geordi@gti.net.   
  
This story is rated PG.   
  
  
Voyager: New Life   
  
Moving On   
By George Padovan  
  
The stars were streaking by the windows of the ready room as  
Captain Kathryn Janeway sipped her coffee and read some reports. One   
report was an update on information received from a long-range probe   
that Voyager had launched a day ago. It was a good idea, once in a   
while, to use the probes to scour the space ahead for possible dangers.  
The door chime sounded. "Come in," Janeway stated, to allow   
entrance, as she looked up from her reading. Ensigns Freddie Bristow   
and Malista York walked in and stood before their captain, who was   
smiling at them.   
Janeway had known the young man from Engineering and the   
Science Department woman since they first came on board at DS9. At the   
time, each had been busy with their work and didn't think of   
socializing beyond friendship with others in the crew. A few months   
after being stranded in the Delta Quadrant, the two officers had   
started dating each other. The rumor mill stated the pair was very   
madly in love with each other and that it was possible that they would   
want to be married in the future.  
"Ensigns Bristow and York, what can I do for you?" Janeway   
asked the couple as she indicated for them to sit down.  
Sitting down in the chairs situated in front of her desk, the   
brown-haired man answered, while his dirty-blonde haired girlfriend sat   
back in her chair to let him speak first. "Captain, as you may know,   
Malista and I have been together for two years now. We have been   
talking recently about whether or not we will ever get back to the   
Alpha Quadrant."  
Malista took up the story. "Fred and I know you will get us   
back, Captain, it's just that we don't know *when* that will happen. As   
far as we know, we might actually spend the next sixty-eight years   
*living* on Voyager."  
They paused and looked at each other before turning back to   
Janeway, who patiently waited for them to continue.   
Bristow looked sheepish. "Captain, Malista and I love each   
other very much. Regardless if we will get back home next month or in   
sixty-eight years, we'd like to get married and start a family."  
The Captain placed her elbows on the desk and steepled her  
fingers together. "Fred, Malista, are you *both* sure this is what you   
want? It could be difficult later on if you realized you weren't made   
for each other after all, and we still hadn't reached Federation space.   
Each of you would still have to live with and work with the other,   
onboard, every day. There's no place for you to escape from each other   
here on Voyager."   
The blonde scientist grabbed her boyfriend's hand while she   
looked at her superior officer. "Captain, what you stated was one of   
the major problems that we discussed before coming to you. We know it   
could be difficult if that ever would be the case, but we have been   
dating for *two* years. We *know* each other well and know we were made   
for each other. We look forward to this commitment and feel sure that   
we can make it work.  
"We're both officers and would continue to respect and work   
with each other even if we should decide to separate later."  
Janeway nodded her head. She was impressed at the determination  
of the couple to make their marriage work. She turned to Bristow.   
"Fred, does Malista speak for you? Would you *also* be able to continue   
to work with each other if the two of you should separate later?"  
"Aye, Captain," he replied with determination shining in his  
eyes.  
A grin came to her face as Janeway rose. "Fred, Malista... My   
congratulations."  
The couple smiled at each other in relief, then returned to the   
Captain. "Thank you, Captain," Fred stated.   
"There are no rules about fraternization, or marriage, on   
Starfleet vessels as long as it doesn't hinder an officer's job   
performance" Janeway told the pair. "Voyager is in a unique situation.   
Commander Chakotay and I *knew* the crew would eventually start to pair   
off the longer we stay in the Delta Quadrant. We also knew   
that, down the road, couples would start coming forward to ask to be   
married, sometime after they start dating. You two are the *first* to   
ask to be married, so don't be surprised if other couples start   
following your example." She smiled. The couple just nodded since they   
weren't able to formulate words in response to her statement.   
"As for starting a family," Janeway continued, "you two will  
have to work that out for yourselves. It's a *big* responsibility to   
raise a family while continuing to adequately perform your duties. You   
may want to talk to Ensign Wildman for any advice in caring for a   
child. Raising Christine has given her lots of experience as she is   
Voyager's first mother."  
"We will definitely talk to her about that, Captain," Malista   
said with a grin. "She has plenty of help from other members of the  
crew in caring for Christine. Surely, we could get the same help in   
raising our children."  
Janeway chuckled. Malista was right about that. Samantha   
Wildman has plenty of volunteers from the crew to help in caring for   
her daughter during the past year. She inwardly sighed, already a year   
had passed since Chris' birth. The little girl had just begun to take   
her first walking steps.  
"So, do you two have a date planned for this joyous event?"  
Janeway asked with a grin.  
Bristow shook his head, grinning. "No, Captain, not yet. We   
weren't sure whether you would allow marriages onboard Voyager, so we   
decided to ask for your permission first. Now that we have your   
permission, we'll start planning everything. We'll inform you as soon   
as we've picked a date."  
Janeway nodded her agreement with their plan. "Then it's  
settled. Anything else you need to tell me?"  
The smiling couple rose shaking their heads. "No, Captain,"   
York replied. "We thank *you* for your support. We appreciate it   
highly."  
"You're most welcome," Janeway returned with gray-blues   
twinkling. "Again, my congratulations to you both."  
"Thank you, Captain," both spoke together.   
"Dismissed." The future bride and groom departed the Ready Room   
with smiles still on their faces, leaving a bemused Captain behind.   
Kathryn shook her head. She knew that the Voyager rumor mill would be   
running at full swing with the news of the upcoming marriage. The  
marriage would become quite an event for the crew. It would become a   
bigger symbol, than Christine Wildman's birth, that the crew had moved   
on with their lives and were now seeing Voyager as their home.  
Thinking about it, she was looking forward to performing the   
ceremony for the happy couple.   
Voyager's commanding officer went to the replicator and ordered  
another cup of coffee before she returned to her desk and the reports   
that were still waiting for her.  
  
Engineering was busy as usual. Repairs always being done to   
keep Voyager at top condition, checking equipment and systems to make   
sure they don't break down, etc.   
Despite the appearance of business as usual, some of the  
Engineers couldn't help but talk about the latest news. Everyone on   
the ship was talking about it! Yesterday, to the surprise of some   
people who thought the couple was not compatible, Ensigns Freddie   
Bristow and Malista York announced that they were going to get married.   
They said that the Captain, that morning, had given them permission to   
marry, so they were going to go through with it. Many crewmembers were   
now looking forward to the occasion of Voyager's first wedding.  
While the crew continued to do their work and chatter about the   
upcoming marriage, Chief B'Elanna Torres was at her workstation   
examining the divisional job assignments, when her boyfriend and lover,  
Ensign Harry Kim, strolled into the department. She smiled as he   
approached.   
Just months ago, she had gone through her version of Ponn Farr   
thanks to Ensign Vorik, who had decided to choose her as his mate when  
his mating cycle came about. While she was trapped in the Sikari caves   
with Kim, she had confessed her love for him. She had always liked   
Harry as a friend, but her feelings grew beyond that over time. Harry   
loved her too, but didn't want to take advantage of her imbalanced   
mind, at the time. Later, Torres and Vorik had battled each other and   
purged their Ponn Farrs. With her hormones back under her control, she   
again told Harry that she loved him. She meant it, and from that moment   
onward, they had become a close couple.   
"Hi, Harry," Torres greeted Kim as he finally reached her.  
Kim smiled. "Hi, B'Elanna." His smile disappeared. "The long-  
range probe stopped transmitting just moments ago. We received the   
latest data from the probe before it stopped, but the telemetry is all   
garbled up. I can't clear it. Can you help me?"  
"Give me the file, and I'll see what I can do," she instructed.   
The Chief Operations Officer leaned over her workstation,  
quickly pulled out the files, and displayed them for his girlfriend.   
Torres leaned over and began to try and make head-or-tails out of the   
mixed-up probe transmissions.  
At that moment, a voice interrupted their concentration from   
behind them. "Keeping busy?"  
They turned to find Commander Chakotay looking at them. "You  
could say that, Chakotay," Torres groaned. "What are you doing here,  
slumming?"  
The First Officer didn't even flinch from her sarcastic reply.  
"Just making a quick inspection of the divisions to see how everyone's   
doing. What got your ire in a such high state?"  
Torres and Kim turned back to their station and continued their   
work. "This!" B'Elanna answered Chakotay. Chakotay stood behind the two   
and watch the fuzzy screen. "The long-range probe has stopped   
transmitting. Harry received the latest data from the it, but it's   
all garbled and I'm trying to decipher it."   
Chakotay took the news in stride but was worried inside. "What   
incapacitated the probe?"  
"We're working on it," Harry replied. "I couldn't make anything   
out of the garbled data. I came down here and asked B'Elanna if she   
could help me."  
After a minute, Torres cried, "I think I've got it!" She   
punched a few buttons and some recognizable pictures appeared on the   
screen. The three officers watched the probe's video data. They slowly   
turned pale at what they saw.  
Chakotay tapped his comm badge. "Commander Chakotay to Captain   
Janeway."  
"Janeway here," the reply came.   
"Captain, would you please come to Engineering. The long-range   
probe has stopped transmitting, and we have something from the latest   
data that you need to see right away."  
"I'm on my way." The communication was cut.  
A few minutes later, Captain Janeway walked into Engineering   
and approached the trio of officers. "What did you find?"  
Torres reported. "Just before the probe stopped transmitting,  
the latest telemetry was all garbled. I was able to clear the   
interference. Take a look at this." She reached down and punched a   
button as Janeway stood next to her and watched the screen. Chakotay   
and Kim stood behind the two.  
Janeway watched as a black *cube-shaped* ship approached the   
probe. Then the picture changed to the interior of the ship where the  
image changed to show a humanoid man, with pale-white skin and machine   
attachments on his body, looking into the video camera of the probe   
before he reached up with his arm, with a machine attachment at the   
end, and disabled the probe.   
Inwardly, Janeway was scared as hell, but she still looked cool   
and confident. She *knew* what Voyager was soon about to face when she   
saw that cube ship. With a calm she didn't feel, she slowly turned to  
her first officer. He saw in her eyes what they all knew, but he   
voiced it anyway.  
"This is it, Captain." He paused a bit. "Borg space."  
  
The Borg! Janeway had known that sooner or later Voyager would   
encounter the Federation's worst enemy. After all, it had been reported   
that the Borg originated in the Delta Quadrant, so it only made sense   
that along their way back to the Alpha Quadrant, Voyager would   
eventually encounter Borg space.   
She had pondered these thoughts constantly during the past   
three days since she had been shown the video that their probe had sent   
before being disabled by the Borg drone. Three days ago, she had been   
in a positive mood, enjoying the good news of the upcoming nuptials of   
two of her own crew. Now she was on constant alert and, to be truthful,   
she was very worried.   
The crew had been in a high stage of alert and was preparing   
the ship and themselves for a fight against the Borg. Janeway would do   
anything to avoid a direct confrontation, but she knew if such a fight   
occurred, her crew would be ready.  
It was 0934 hours. Janeway and the rest of her bridge crew   
were manning their usual stations, when Ensign Kim's Ops console   
started beeping loudly. "Captain!" Kim shouted. "I'm picking up a   
transwarp signature ahead, bearing 050, mark 354! He checked his   
readings closely. "A cube shaped vessel." He looked up to face Janeway.   
"It's Borg."   
"Have they detected us?" Janeway cried out to her Chief   
Operations Officer.   
Harry scanned his board. "No. They're maintaining speed on a   
course that will pass us in a few seconds."  
The Captain turned to Lt. Paris at the helm. "Maintain course  
and speed, Mr. Paris. Hopefully, the Borg will pass us by without   
detecting us."  
"Aye, Captain," Paris obeyed, his fingers dancing over the   
controls at the helm.  
"Captain," Tuvok calmly said, "The Borg vessel is now parallel  
with us." The Bridge crew held their breaths. After a few tense  
moments, Tuvok broke the tense silence. "The Borg have passed, Captain.   
They are maintaining their original course and heading away from us."  
Except for Tuvok, everyone released the breaths that they had  
been holding. They were relieved that this first encounter had passed   
without confrontation, but they all wondered how long before they were   
detected.   
Voyager sailed on keeping to the boundaries of Borg space,  
looking for a way around the vastness of enemy territory that blocked   
their more direct route back home. Janeway hoped they could come up   
with a solution that would help her crew avoid being assimilated and   
still keep them heading in the general direction of the Alpha quadrant.  
  
After putting their lunch trays on the table and sitting down,  
Lt. Paris spoke his first words to his best friend, Ensign Kim, since   
their close encounter with the Borg that morning. "That was a close   
call this morning."  
"I'll say," Harry agreed. "I doubt we would have been able to  
fight the Borg if they had detected us." He put a forkful of his lunch   
in his mouth as he gazed around the Mess Hall.   
Tom too looked around the Mess Hall and saw the expressions on   
everyone's faces. He turned back to Harry. "Everyone's scared, Harry.   
They may not look it, but I can tell from the deadly silence in   
this room."  
Harry nodded. "Who wouldn't be scared, Tom? After Wolf 359,   
everyone in the Federation feared the Borg would return and finish off   
what they had started. No one wants to imagine becoming assimilated   
into the hive.   
"Captain Picard became one of them for a while. I read the  
report on that. It stated that he was able to return to normal quickly   
since he was assimilated for such a short period of time before the   
implants were removed. Can you imagine being Borg for a year? Two   
years? A decade? The rest of your life?"  
Tom shuddered at the thought. "Not me. I'd like to stay the way  
I am." The idea of becoming one with the Borg didn't have any appeal at  
all.   
"The same here," Harry stated.   
The two friends remained silent for the rest of their lunch.  
They didn't see Torres, so they figured she was pretty busy. Near the   
end of their lunch period, the two stood up, placed their trays back in   
the recycle bin, and returned to the Bridge.  
Along the way, Paris asked a question. "How long do you think  
we'll be able to elude the Borg?"  
Harry had no answer for that and answered, "I don't know. I'm   
keeping my fingers crossed, hoping we *never* have to face them in   
combat."  
"Same here, friend," Tom clapped Kim's shoulder. "Same here."  
After a short ride on the turbolift, the two officers returned   
to the Bridge and their duties. Each felt it was going to be a *long*   
afternoon.  
  
In his bright red '57 Chevy convertible, Thomas Paris was  
driving alone along the road through the woods in California. It was a   
bright, sunny summer day and he was enjoying himself tremendously. He   
had always enjoyed driving through the woods of Northern California and   
today was no exception.  
Maintaining a steady cruise speed along the winding road, the   
blond pilot of Starfleet hadn't noticed a few guys on motorbikes drive   
up to him from behind. His eyes finally saw them as he turned his head   
to the left to see the biker next to him.   
He gave a grin to the biker and was about to turn back to his   
driving when his head spun back in a double take with eyes wide. The   
man on the Harley was pale white with gadgets sticking out of his body   
and an optic eyepiece sticking out of an eye. Borg.  
The Borg biker slowly turned his head to Tom, whose heart was   
racing. "Surrender your vessel," the drone said in the monotone of the   
Borg Hive Mind. "We will add your biological and technological   
distinctiveness to our own. You will be assimilated. Resistance is   
futile."  
"Not this pilot, you won't!" yelled Tom.  
The drone raised his gadget arm and swung it down toward Paris,   
but Tom quickly maneuvered the car to the right, avoiding the blow.  
He also managed to knock the Borg biker on his right side out of the   
picture. He then quickly accelerated and shifted gears to the highest   
level to achieve maximum speed. Tom sped away with the Borg quickly  
accelerating behind him to catch up.  
Swerving around bends and curves in the road, he saw in the   
rearview mirror that the Borg bikers were gaining on him. Cursing, he   
tried to get even more speed out of the Chevy.  
The forest thinned out and finally he was in the clear, heading   
toward a small town. The town looked abandoned and eerie.  
Tom was so focused on his pursuers that when he turned his head   
to his right, he was scared out of his wits to find a spooky white   
hooded-robed bipedal being sitting next to him on the front seat. He  
couldn't see the face, but the sight reminded him of the black-hooded   
ghost of Christmas Future in all those Scrooge films he had seen as a   
child at Christmastime.   
The being pointed down the road, in the direction that the car  
was heading and said, "When you reach the Blue Giant Star Diner and   
Pulsar Hotel, you'll see a road at mark 248. Take it and continue along   
it for 3 minutes. You'll then reach safety from the those unemotional   
men behind you who want to take your vehicle apart."   
"Really?" asked Paris sarcastically, as he again looked in the   
rearview mirror. The Borg were still gaining on him. When he turned   
back to the hooded being, he was gone. "Didn't even say good-bye," the   
pilot muttered.   
In another minute, he spotted a sign on the left side of the   
road. It read, "Blue Giant Star Diner." The next sign said, "Pulsar   
Hotel." Looking to his right, Tom immediately saw the road to which the   
being had been referring. Pulling hard on the steering wheel, Tom Paris   
took the Chevy up the new road and accelerated some more.   
Continuing down the road, the town thinned out and he was in   
the forest again. Then, up ahead, he saw a long bridge. Crossing over   
it, Voyager's Chief Helmsman saw that the bridge spanned a large   
ravine, which stretched a half-mile wide.   
Looking over his shoulder, Tom noticed the Borg bikers were   
still on his tail. Well, Tom, that guy in the robe was a liar to   
boot.   
Just as Paris and his Chevy reached the other side, the bridge   
exploded, causing Tom to stop the car, turn around, and stare at the   
fireworks as the Borg were destroyed with the bridge.   
Then again, that guy was telling the truth. He didn't   
understand *how* the bridge was destroyed, but the blonde man was   
*glad* it was.   
"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!" the sound came, and suddenly  
Tom Paris woke-up in his bed with his forehead sweaty. A dream! It was   
nothing but a weird dream.  
Shaking his head to help clear it, Tom ordered his alarm off   
and stumbled out of bed. He went into the bathroom and took a shower.   
While under the soothing warm water, Paris couldn't help but   
think about the strangeness of the dream he had had. The Borg bikers,   
he thought, was part of his fear of the Borg, now that Voyager was near   
their territory. The being was probably some ray of hope that he and   
his shipmates would *escape* the Borg, somehow. The whole thing was   
just plain *weird*.   
He shook his head, returning to the present. I'll sort out   
this dream later.   
Finishing his shower, Paris dried himself before returning to   
the bedroom, where he donned a fresh clean uniform. After he made sure   
he was presentable, the pilot left for the Mess Hall to start another   
day, hoping that Voyager survive the Borg.  
  
"Morning, Tom," Kim said to his friend as Paris settled down   
with his breakfast across from him and Torres in the Mess Hall. No one   
was in a cheery mood nowadays with the threat of the Borg looming over   
them.  
"Morning, Harry, B'Elanna," Paris returned the greeting as he   
sorted through his breakfast and took a bite of the scrambled eggs.  
"Sleep well?" Torres asked the pilot when she noticed his   
grogginess and the dark circles under his blue eyes.  
Tom shook his head. "Very little. I had this dream about the  
Borg."  
Harry gave a sympathetic smile. "Who wouldn't in the situation   
we're in."  
Paris nodded his head in agreement, then he told his two good   
friends about the dream. When he was finished, Harry and B'Elanna   
looked at Tom for a while before Harry broke the silence.  
"That's a pretty strange dream, Tom. Borg motorbike riders  
chasing you, and that hooded, robed man. Definitely weird."  
B'Elanna just snorted. "It's probably nothing to worry about.   
As you said, Harry, who wouldn't dream about the Borg in the situation   
we're in? The tension on the ship is high. None of the former Maquis  
have felt this tense since the last battle with the Cardassians in the   
Badlands, just before we were transported over by the Caretaker."  
"Yeah, you're probably right, B'Elanna," Tom mentioned. "I just  
hope our luck avoiding the Borg continues."  
After the three junior officers ate their breakfast, they all   
headed toward the Bridge for their duty stations.   
During the course of the shift, Tom's statement came true.   
Voyager's luck held out for the day; no Borg vessels were detected.   
However, everyone wondered how long their luck would continue with so  
many Borg vessels out there in the vastness of Borg space, whose   
borders Voyager was trying to get around.  
  
Kathryn was running. With her uniform and body covered with   
sweat, she kept on running for her life across the open fields of her   
home in Indiana. She turned back and still saw the mechanical humanoid   
monsters coming at her. Waving their arms and looking menacing,   
everything they touched turned black and mechanical looking.   
"You will be assimilated, Captain Kathryn Janeway," the single   
mechanical voice kept drumming in her ears. "Resistance is futile."  
"Never!" Janeway screamed out. "I will never be part of you!   
You hear me! NEVER!" She kept on running.  
All of the sudden a man in a white hooded robe appeared before   
her. She couldn't see his face since he was hunched down and the hood   
covered his head. He quickly pointed to a huge black hole in the   
ground. "Quickly, Kathy! Go down this hole! It'll save you from the   
demons you're fleeing! Once on the other side, close the hole and   
you'll be safe!"  
Janeway hesitated. The hole was dark and she couldn't see what   
lay below. Besides, she was not sure she could trust the hooded man.  
"Do you want to be one of them?!" the man pointed to the   
mechanical humanoids approaching them. Janeway saw the Borg were   
getting nearer. The sight of them made her decision easier.  
Jumping down the hole, she shouted and screamed as the darkness   
surrounded her. She couldn't even see her hand in front of her face.  
Kathryn felt like she kept on falling and falling - like Alice falling   
down the rabbit hole. Finally, she saw light below her.   
Her body tumbled out of the mouth of a cave somewhere in the  
Rocky Mountains she quickly recognized her surroundings. On the ground   
before her lay two sticks of TNT or dynamite, as she remembered it was   
called in the twentieth century. Then finding a campfire lighter, she   
quickly and smoothly lit the dynamite and flung the sticks into the   
cave.   
Just then a Borg drone appeared at the mouth of the cave and   
she feared she was too late. However, a moment after the drone   
appeared, the explosion came.   
The cave collapsed right on top of the Borg, sealing it and   
burying the drone under tons of rock and dirt. Kathryn breathed easier   
now. The Borg drone was dead and the others couldn't follow her, so she   
was safe.  
"Bridge to Captain Janeway! Captain Janeway come in!"  
With a gasp and startled expression, Kathryn woke up in her   
bed.  
"Bridge to Captain Janeway!" Chakotay's voice was heard in her   
bedroom.  
Janeway spoke up to the ceiling. "Janeway here."  
"Captain," Chakotay reported, "We're detecting four transwarp   
signatures. Definitely Borg vessels.  
"I already contacted the rest of the senior bridge crew and   
placed the ship on red alert. You didn't responded."  
Captain Janeway was already up and starting to dress in her   
uniform. She saw it was 0450 hours.  
Damn this dream! It made me slept right through a red alert!   
"I'll be right up! Janeway out."   
Soon she was dressed and ready. Voyager's commanding officer,   
now fully awake and alert, jogged out of her quarters toward the   
turbolift. After she ordered the lift to the Bridge, her mind   
backtracked to the dream she had. She shook it off, concluding the   
dream was nothing more than her fear manifesting itself in this way  
since she never displayed such fear to any of her crew.   
The lift stopped and she burst onto the Bridge. "Report!" she   
barked out as she headed toward her center seat.  
Tuvok reported from the Tactical station. "The Borg vessels   
are now behind us, continuing to maintain their course and   
speed. They have yet to--" The Security Chief's console started beeping   
and he glanced down at it. He quickly raised his eyes back to his   
commanding officer, who was now in her seat. "Correction. The Borg have   
altered course, Captain. They are now on a intercept course toward us."  
All eyes on the Bridge briefly turned to the Vulcan. He saw   
they held fear but also determination. Determination to beat the Borg.  
With a look of calmness and command, Janeway shouted out her   
orders. "Accelerate to maximum warp! Shields and weapons at maximum!"   
She turned to Ensign Kim. "Harry, sensors at maximum! Find us a star or   
nebula that could elude the Borg sensors!"  
"Aye, Captain!" came the voices of her trusted officers. Paris   
boosted the warp engines to their peak at warp 9.2. Tuvok increased   
shield strength and prepared phasers and photon torpedoes for maximum   
damage. Harry widened the long-range sensors and began searching   
eagerly for a stellar phenomenon to fool the Borg.  
Tuvok spoke up. "The Borg have increased their speed. They will  
be within firing range in 6 minutes."  
The situation was tense all around the bridge as everyone   
awaited the arrival of the Borg. They knew the history of the   
Enterprise-D, when Q flung the Enterprise into the Delta Quadrant for   
Starfleet's first contact with the Borg. The Enterprise could neither   
out run the Borg nor could they destroy them. If the Enterprise hadn't   
been able to do it then when they were alone, how could they expect to   
do it now. Especially against *four* cubes, when the Enterprise had not   
even been a match for one. On the other hand, they all knew they would   
die trying to protect their ship and each other.  
Lt. Paris was carefully watching the navigation and sensor data   
on his helm console. He saw the four marks representing the Borg cubes,   
which were increasingly getting closer and closer. Then he spotted   
something at the top of the navigation screen. They were approaching a   
blue giant star with a pulsar companion.   
A blue giant star with a pulsar companion. he thought.  
Suddenly his mind went into overdrive. A blue giant star with a pulsar   
companion!   
Tom remembered the dream he had the previous night with the   
white-hooded man in his car. `When you reach the Blue Giant Star Diner   
and Pulsar Hotel, you'll see a road at mark 248. Take it and go down it   
for 3 minutes. You'll reach safety from the those unemotional men   
behind you who want to take your vehicle apart.' Gods! That dream was   
no dream! It was a premonition!  
Seeing that Voyager was finally parallel to the star and   
pulsar, Paris altered course to mark 248. His guts told him outright   
that he was doing the right thing to save Voyager and the people he   
care the most.  
"Mr. Paris, *why* did you alter course?!" Janeway barked at   
him after Voyager turned toward its new heading. The Captain rose and   
approached her chief helmsman with eyes furious.  
Paris didn't even turn around, just kept his eyes on the helm.   
"Trust me, Captain! This doesn't make sense, but I *know* that we'll   
reach safety in 3 minutes at this heading! *Trust* me!"  
Janeway stared at her protege. His raised voice and posture   
told her that he was telling the truth.   
"The Borg are now 4 minutes behind us," Tuvok called out.  
"You'd better be right about this *hunch* of yours, Mr. Paris,"   
Janeway said as she stepped down to stand beside the young man. "Or   
else you'll be on KP duty for the rest of the journey home if we make   
it out of this situation alive."  
She was bit surprised not to hear Tom even make his usual flip   
joke. "Believe me, Captain, I just know this *hunch* is correct or else I   
wouldn't have altered course."  
Not even one minute had passed when Kim cried out in a voice  
filled with surprise and hope. "Captain! I'm picking up neutrino   
readings dead ahead... A wormhole! The sensors show it's definitely big   
enough for Voyager to go through!"  
Tom saw the wormhole on his sensor screen. "We'll be at the   
wormhole in 2 minutes, Captain! This is our ticket out of this mess!"  
Tuvok remained calm and straight. "The Borg are now 3 minutes   
behind us." He then addressed his Captain. "Captain, despite the good   
fortune of finding the wormhole, we have no idea whether the wormhole is   
stable or if it will deposit us in any better situation. We may find   
ourselves further from Federation space than we are at present. Also,   
before we can even verify anything about this wormhole, the Borg will be   
upon us."  
Janeway's eyes were fixed on the helm's sensor screen and the   
indication of the wormhole as she listened to Tuvok. The dream she   
had flashed across her mind. `Quickly, Kathy! Go down this hole! It'll   
save you from the demons you're fleeing! Once on the other side, close   
the hole and you'll be safe!'  
"I agree that there's no time to confirm whether this wormhole  
is safe, but I'm willing to bet everything that this wormhole is stable   
and will deposit us closer to home, Mr. Tuvok." Janeway turned to her   
tactical officer, who gave her a disapproving gaze, then back to her   
helmsman with an expression that made it clear she had made up her mind  
thoroughly. "Mr. Paris, when we reach the wormhole, drop out of warp   
and head straight into it! Full impulse!" She strolled quickly back to   
the center seat.  
"Aye Captain!" Paris replied with eagerness as Janeway settled   
down on her seat. All heads turned to the screen as they approached the   
wormhole.  
Upon arrival at the opening, Voyager dropped out of warp and  
without haste plunged into the wormhole at full impulse. The wormhole   
rocked and rolled Voyager liked a sea ship in the middle of a fierce   
ocean storm.  
"Harry!" Janeway said over her shoulder. "How long is this   
wormhole?!"  
"Sensors indicate we'll be out in five minutes, Captain!"  
replied the young operations officer.   
"At least the Borg won't be able to catch us while we're in   
here," Paris stated. "Even if they follow us, they'll have to go at the   
same speed as we."  
"Captain," called out Tuvok, "the Borg have entered the   
wormhole. I detect only one cube, and they are at the same speed as   
Voyager, full impulse. We shall be ahead of them as Mr. Paris stated."  
"However, we're not out of the woods yet," Janeway mentioned as   
she held on to her seat while Voyager continued to rock and roll. "That   
cube will still be a threat to us once they follow us out of the  
wormhole." She turned to Tuvok. "Tuvok, prepare two photon torpedoes,   
aft torpedo bays! Once we clear the wormhole, I want this wormhole   
destroyed! The wormhole's collapse will destroy the Borg before they   
can get out!"   
"Aye, Captain," Tuvok obeyed as he prepared the torpedoes to   
the specifications necessary to destroy the wormhole.   
After several minutes of enduring the bumpy ride, Voyager   
finally exited the wormhole. "We're out!" Paris shouted.  
"Firing torpedoes," Tuvok stated as he pressed the `fire'   
button on his console.  
"Rear view on screen!" Janeway ordered, which Kim carried out.  
The screen blinked on just in time to see two red sparkles   
enter the wormhole. Immediately afterward, an explosion was seen and   
the bridge crew could see the wormhole collapsing.   
"Captain! The Borg ship is coming out!" Harry Kim hollered.   
With fear, everyone saw the cube shaped ship about to exit the wormhole   
and wondered if Fate was against them. However, Fate was on Voyager's side   
this time.   
The edge of the collapsing wormhole touched the Borg vessel   
before it could fully emerge. Like a knife going through butter, the   
wormhole crushed half of the cube ship with an awesome force. The next   
thing everyone saw was a tremendous explosion, which caused the bridge   
crew to shield their eyes, as the vessel, representing the Federation's   
worst enemy, was utterly annihilated.  
When the spectacular fireworks were over, everybody breathed   
easier. Their great ordeal with the Borg was *over*. However, Voyager's   
commanding officer immediately reminded them of an important question.  
"Tom," Janeway called out, "where are we?"  
Tom pushed some buttons and the screen blinked to show a pink  
and blue nebula that was in front of Voyager. He then checked his   
navigation readings before answering his superior's question. "We're   
ten thousand light years from where we were, Captain."  
Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay saw on their Command   
terminal that it was true. Voyager was ten thousand light years further   
along on their journey home.  
Janeway's face gave a sigh of relief. "We're now safely beyond   
Borg space," she spoke to no one in particular as she turned to gaze at   
the main view screen and the beautiful nebula. A small smile came to   
her face. "We're ten years closer to home."  
Closing her eyes, Janeway relaxed fully on full realization   
that her ship and crew were safe. A miracle. she told herself. A   
definite *miracle*.   
  
Shortly after the Bridge crew got their minds accustomed to   
Voyager's good fortune in escaping the Borg, Captain Janeway called   
a meeting of the Senior Staff in the Briefing Room.   
Janeway gazed around the table at her most trusted officers.   
Chakotay sat on her right followed by Paris, the Doctor, Kes, and   
Neelix, who sat at the end of the table. Torres sat at Neelix's right,   
followed by Kim and ending with Tuvok, who sat at Janeway's left.   
"We were *very* fortunate today," the Captain started the   
meeting. "If we hadn't found that wormhole, you all know what would   
have happened to us." A look at her officers' faces told her, they knew   
and didn't like the thought of it at all. "This leaves us with a   
burning mystery." Her eyes focused on her helmsman. "How *did* you know   
that wormhole was there, Mr. Paris?"   
The blonde pilot felt all eyes focused on him, but he kept his   
eyes connected with Janeway's. "You probably won't believe me, but I   
received the knowledge in a dream," Paris said straight without humor   
showing his seriousness.  
"A dream?" Chakotay asked. "What was in the dream to make you   
know the wormhole was there."  
Taking a breath, Tom explained the dream he had two nights  
ago. Him driving a 20th century automobile and the Borg chasing him on   
motorcycles. The Borg stating that they wanted to assimilate his car.  
Tom described the man, wearing a white hooded robe, appearing next to   
him in the car and giving him instructions on how to escape the Borg.  
"He told me that when I reached the Blue Giant Star Diner and   
Pulsar Hotel, I'll see a road at mark 248. He stated that if I went down   
the road for 3 minutes, I'll reach safety. I crossed a long bridge and   
once I'd reached the other side, the bridge blew up and took the Borg   
with it.   
"When we were trying to outrun the Borg, I saw on the   
navigation sensors a binary star system composed of a blue *giant* star   
and a *pulsar* that we were approaching." He spread his hands and gazed   
at his fellow officers. "I realized that the dream couldn't have been a   
fluke! No way could a dream resemble reality this closely! No way! I   
took the chance that the dream was instructions for us to escape the   
Borg. Sure enough, the wormhole was there *exactly* three minutes after   
I altered course to mark 248 according to the hooded man's   
instructions."   
Everyone was astonished.   
"Tom," Janeway stated, her eyes shining with revelation. "You   
stated the man was wearing a *white* hooded robe. Did you see the man's   
face?"  
Paris shook his head. "No, Captain. The hood covered his face   
and I wasn't able to see him."  
"Captain," Tuvok spoke with curiosity, "why is it important to   
know identity of this man in Mr. Paris' dream?"  
Janeway faced her Security Chief. "Because I *too* had a dream   
about a man covered with a white hooded robe." She saw she now have  
everyone's attention.   
"As you all know, I knew that the wormhole would be safe for us  
to go through, and you're all wondering how I knew.   
"Like Mr. Paris, the dream I had last night was about the Borg   
chasing me. It was different since I was being chased on foot and there  
was one extra difference. The hooded man pointed to a hole in the   
ground and told me to jump through it. He also stated that once I   
reach the other side, I will find two sticks of TNT and I should use   
it to seal off the hole to prevent the Borg from following."  
Janeway shook her head slightly before continuing. "It was   
coincidence that the my dream matched the situation we were in. I knew   
that wormhole was safe and I knew, like the hole in my dream, I had to   
destroy the wormhole to prevent the Borg from coming through."  
Voyager's captain gazed at Paris, whose facial expression told   
her that he knew what she was about to say next so he said it for her.   
"It can't be a coincidence for you and I to dream about the exact   
*same* man. Also it is too much a coincidence for *both* of us to   
receive instructions on how to escape the Borg in our dreams."  
All around the table there were wide expressions of  
astonishment.   
Tuvok raised an eyebrow as his eyes met the Captain's. "The   
question now, Captain, is *who* gave you and Lt. Paris the   
instructions? I agree that it is logical that it is highly improbable  
for you and Lt. Paris to dream about the same person and receive   
instructions that fit *precisely* our predicament with the Borg."  
Everyone pondered the question for a while.   
Finally, Janeway rose and everyone followed suit. "It's  
something for us to think about," she said to everyone. "For the time   
being, it's best we return to our duties." She turned to Torres.   
"B'Elanna, you stated there was minor damage to Voyager passing through   
the wormhole. I want all systems check out thoroughly before we   
continue our journey back to Federation space."  
"Aye, Captain," the Chief Engineer replied.   
Janeway gazed at everyone before saying, "Dismissed."  
Everyone filed out of the Briefing Room and headed back to   
work. Torres, the Doctor, Neelix, and Kes filed into the turbolift;   
Torres headed toward Engineering, Neelix back to his kitchen, and the   
Doctor and Kes to Sickbay. The senior officers of the Bridge returned   
to their respective posts, except Janeway, who stood in front of her   
first officer as he sat on his chair.  
"Commander, I'll be in my Ready Room working on reports for the  
remainder of the day. When Lt. Torres confirms that all systems have  
check out and properly functioning, head us back on course to the   
Alpha Quadrant. Warp 5."  
"Aye, Captain," Chakotay obeyed. He watched Janeway as,  
gracefully as always, she walked into her Ready Room.  
The Bridge was silent as everyone went about his or her job.  
Each was pondering how lucky they all were and wondering what would   
have become of them if they hadn't found the wormhole. No one liked to   
imagine assimilation into the Borg collective. It was horrifying enough  
to imagine it; it would have been nightmarish to have had to live it.   
Two hours later, Lt. Torres called the Bridge to report that   
all systems were functioning normally and that Voyager could now go to   
warp. Chakotay told Paris to head back on course toward the Alpha   
Quadrant at warp 5. Complying, the pilot plotted in the course and   
warped Voyager away.   
They all figured it would be a while before everything returned  
to normal.  
  
Captain Janeway sat on the couch of her Ready Room and read the   
reports that came in from all departments of the ship. The reports,   
throughout the day, kept her so busy that when she finally glanced at   
the chronometer, she found it was now 20 minutes since Alpha Shift had   
ended.  
Sighing, she placed down the PADD she had just read and picked  
up the cup of tea she had placed on the coffee table in front of her.   
Sipping the warmth of the tea, she turned and stared out the windows at   
the rainbow colors of the passing stars.  
The Captain closed her eyes. She couldn't help but feel relief   
that Voyager had survived the Borg. It was the greatest of luck to have  
found a wormhole, which bypassed Borg space, and destroy it before the   
Borg gotten through.   
Not only that, but now her ship and crew were less than 60   
years away from the Alpha Quadrant; 10 years closer than they were   
before entering the wormhole.   
A miracle, she remembered saying to herself after they  
discovered where they were when the Borg cube was destroyed by the   
collapsed wormhole. It was indeed a miracle.  
Her mind wandered back to the dream she had about the hooded  
man. Who was he? There had to be a clue in the dream. Kathryn again   
went through her entire dream step by step. Again she came to words the   
man had spoken to her. "Quickly, Kathy! Go down this hole! It'll save   
you from the demons you're fleeing! Once on the other side, close the   
hole and you'll be safe!"  
Then her mind snapped. 'Kathy'? In my entire life, I know of   
*only* one being, who ever called me Kathy. "Q," Kathryn spoke out.  
Suddenly there was a flash of light in front of her. She spun   
her head to see the dark, curly, haired omnipotent being standing   
before her next to the guardrail. Q was in a Captain's Starfleet   
uniform like hers.   
"You called, Kathy?" Q asked with a mischievous grin and eyes   
twinkling.   
Eyeing the immortal, Janeway placed her teacup down on the   
table before standing. She crossed her arms. "You were responsible for   
the dreams Tom and I had. You gave us the information we needed to find   
the wormhole."   
Q smiled broadly and gave a small bow. "Guilty as charged." He   
leaned against the railing and crossed his legs. "I'm surprised that it   
took you this long to figure everything out, Kathy. I thought you were   
smarter than that."  
Kathryn just shook her head while looking at this man, this  
being in front of her and asked, "Why?"  
"Why, Kathy? You're asking why I, a member of the Q Continuum,   
would save you and your little lost ship?" She nodded. "The reason is   
simple. There are only two mortals that I have ever met whom I respect  
and admire. You Kathryn are one of the two.  
"As a friend, I couldn't sit back and see you become a walking   
zombie with gadgets sticking out of your body." Q made a distasteful   
face. "It's not you. I like you the way you are."  
Q raised a finger. "However, I couldn't directly help you by   
flinging your ship across space as I did with Jean-Luc's. The Continuum   
made it quite clear, so I decided to help you aim in the right   
direction so that you could escape on your own."  
"You knew about the wormhole?" Janeway queried.   
The immortal smiled. "Indeed. That wormhole was created by a   
powerful race a thousand years ago to grant safe passage for travelers   
across Borg space. However, the knowledge of the wormhole was lost over   
time simply because fewer people ever used it. They simply avoid Borg   
space all together. The wormhole's creators left this galaxy couple   
hundred years after it was made."  
Spreading his hands, Q gave a shrug. "So, knowing the direction   
you were heading, I gave Helmboy the directions to head toward the   
wormhole, while I gave you the knowledge that the wormhole was safe and   
that you were to destroy it once you were on the other side."  
Janeway knew he wasn't telling the whole story. "You also knew   
that we were going to be chased by the Borg as well. That's why you   
told me to destroy the wormhole."   
Grinning, Q touched his nose with an index finger while   
pointing to Janeway with the other hand. "Right on the nose! Being Q, I   
saw you were going to be chase by the Borg, so it made sense for you to   
destroy the wormhole once you were safe." Q tossed his hand as if to   
dismiss something. "Besides, the Borg were slowly conquering the space   
where the wormhole was established, so it was no longer a safe passage   
across their space anyway. It was best to destroy it to prevent them   
from reaching this part of the galaxy any quicker than they absolutely   
have to."  
Kathryn, looking at the godlike being, slowly smiled. Q   
certainly had come a long way from the pain-in-the-behind entity that   
tormented the Enterprise-D's crew. He was still somewhat of a pain, but   
she gradually came to appreciate Q. "Q, I speak for my *entire* crew. I   
thank you for helping us."  
Seeing her smile brought warmth to the god-like being. Q gave a   
small smile and nodded his head. "You're welcome, Kathy."   
The two smiled at each other for a while until Q broke the   
silence. "Well now, it was a good thing Helmboy recognized what I was   
telling him in his dream, or else your teeny weany vessel would have   
been Borg food."  
Janeway shook her head and chuckled. At that moment the door   
chime sounded. "Come in."  
Commander Chakotay strolled in, with PADD in hand, and stopped  
in his tracks the moment he laid eyes on Q. His eyes and face turned   
angry while his voice remained calm but with an edge in it. "Q, what   
are you doing here? If you're here to harm Captain Janeway, I swear-"  
"Chakotay, calm down," Janeway broke in, while Q held up his  
hands in surrender. "Q is not here to harm me, any of the crew, or   
Voyager."  
"Listen to her, Chuckles," Q added while he placed his hands   
down. "It's the truth this time."  
The Indian was confused. When Q had appeared on Voyager before,   
the immortal being always had a motive or reason that didn't bode well   
for Voyager. "What are you doing here then?" he asked Q.  
Kathryn answered. "I figured out that it was Q who was the   
white-robed man in the dreams Tom and I had. Once I figured it out, Q   
appeared to explain why he helped us as he did."  
"And?" Chakotay prompted.  
She turned her head toward Q and shook her head while smiling,   
before she returned to face her first officer. "He simply wanted to   
help us from being assimilated by the Borg. That's all."  
Chakotay turned to Q. "That's it? You *just* wanted to help   
us?" He was finding it hard to believe.  
"That's *it*," Q repeated what Chakotay had said but with a  
serious and concerned face.  
"You don't want to try to mate with the Captain?" the Commander   
couldn't help but ask.   
Q gave a shocked face. "Chuck, I'm *shocked*! I have no  
intention of chasing Kathy anymore!" The omnipotent being crossed his   
arms. "I already have a lovely mate and son to care for. Kathy is a   
good friend whom I was concerned for when I noticed your little ship   
was about to encounter the Borg.  
"Being Q I was able to see all possible futures." He glanced   
at Janeway, who was listening. "To see Kathy turned into the new Borg   
liaison for the Borg to conquer the Federation is not a pretty sight.   
The difference between Jean-Luc and her would be that the Borg would   
have turned her completely into one of them including a mechanical eye   
sticking out one eye socket."  
Again Q shook his head, shaking out the shivers. Chakotay   
swallowed since he too didn't like to think of Janeway becoming such a   
thing. Janeway just closed her eyes.   
"As for Voyager and the rest of Kathy's loyal crew," Q   
continued, "the Borg would have turned everyone into drones, stripped   
Voyager to nothing, and assimilated the technology. With the knowledge   
of a Starfleet captain and the technology of a starship, the Borg would   
have easily conquered the Federation since they would know every   
weakness of the technology compared to the time Jean-Luc was Locutus.   
"Then the Borg thought with only the knowledge of a starship   
captain, they could easily assimilate the Federation. This time they   
would had not hesitate to use *everything* that was available to them."  
Q noticed the gloomy moods of the two Voyager officers and   
realized he had probably spoken too much.   
"But you changed that future, Q," Chakotay pointed out. "You  
gave Paris and the Captain the knowledge they needed to escape the   
Borg."  
After raising a finger, Q said, "Not exactly." He exhaled   
before continuing. "I gave Helmboy and Kathy the means to change the   
future. It was still up to them to decide whether or not to use what   
their dreams were telling them and make a decision.  
"Your Mr. Paris decided to follow the course I gave him, but   
Kathy still had to decide to go through the wormhole. If she hadn't,   
the future I told you about would *still* have happened."   
Janeway raised her hand in that two-fingered gesture she always   
made. "You're telling us that you gave us the information, but it was   
still our decision to determine the course of our future?"  
"Precisely, Madame Captain," Q replied with a voice filled with   
confidence and amusement. He walked over and sat on the couch. He   
spread his arms out. "Every individual makes many decisions on the path   
of life. Where that path takes the individual is determined by the   
decisions he or she makes." He folded his hands in his lap. "Most of   
the time, the decision made only affects the individual; other times it   
affects others whose paths are entwined with the individual."  
Q turned to Janeway "So I gave Helmboy and you the information,   
but you each had to decide to take the information as face value or   
not, and as you know you both did." He gave a grin of satisfaction.  
Janeway shook her head and gave a small smile. "True, it was   
still up to Tom and I to decide to act on instinct with what the dreams  
gave us, but Q you still nevertheless helped us by providing the   
information *necessary* for us to make the decisions. If you had not   
given us the information, we wouldn't have been given the *chance* to   
decide.  
"Again, I thank you for your help, Q."  
Q nodded. "And again, you're most welcome, Kathy."  
Janeway turned to Chakotay. "What was it you originally needed  
to see me about, Chakotay?"  
Chakotay handed the PADD he held to her. She scanned the PADD   
contents while he spoke.   
"B'Elanna is doing a series of standard diagnostics of the   
major systems. She wants to be one hundred percent sure Voyager is   
okay.  
"The Doctor is still treating a lot of crew who are having  
sleepless nights from nightmares and so forth since encountering the   
Borg. He suggested that the crew needs a recreational group festival or   
good morale booster to ease their minds."  
Janeway nodded her head. "Agreed. Did he mention anything in   
particular?"  
Shaking his head, Chakotay said, "No, but I have a suggestion."  
"And?" Janeway prompted.  
"There is a certain couple waiting to get married, Captain."   
Chakotay gave a smile, which caused Kathryn to smile in return.  
"I'd forgotten about Ensigns Bristow and York's wedding." She   
slightly shook her head as she remembered the couple asking her to be   
married before the entire Borg crisis started. "I think the wedding   
would be a great morale booster for the crew, but we should first   
confer with the bride and groom to make sure it's okay with them."  
Her first officer's smile only broadened. "I'm sure they don't   
mind, Captain. After all, they were planning to be married before the   
Borg, and now that the crisis is over, I'm sure they're more than   
willing to get on with their lives."  
Q watched the exchange between Janeway and Chakotay. He   
wondered if Chuckles would ever capture Kathy's heart. He shrugged.   
Only time would tell. Then a child's voice was heard throughout the   
Ready Room.  
"Dad! Where are you Daddy? Mom wants you back home!"  
Janeway and Chakotay with puzzled faces glanced about the room,   
but they couldn't see or tell where the voice was coming from. It   
seemed it was radiating from *everywhere*.  
With a sigh, Q stood up. "That's my cue to leave. It seems the   
Old Ball-And-Chain is calling, and she has sent Junior to bring me in."  
Kathryn, with a wry grin, looked at the immortal for a moment   
before speaking. "You'd better get going then. Again, my thanks, Q."  
"Any time, Madame Captain. *Anytime*," he said with a smile.   
"Well, have fun conducting your *little* morale booster. Ta Da!" With a   
wave of his hand and a flash, Q left.  
Before Janeway could speak to Chakotay, the officers heard the   
child's voice again. "Dad! There you are! Where have you been? I have been   
looking for you all over the universe."  
Q's voice came next. "Well, a friend of mine was having trouble   
with some *annoying* pests, so I helped her out."  
"Did you get rid of pests?" Junior asked.  
"No, but I helped her relocate to a more *promising* pest free   
location."  
"Yeah, yeah. You can tell Mom and I later. Come on, Dad! Let's  
go home and play some more Galactic pinball!"  
"Yeesh! That game again? How dull," sighed Junior's father.  
After a few moments, realizing the voices were gone, Kathryn   
looked at Chakotay and burst out laughing, holding her sides. Chakotay   
grinned broadly with dimples showing while he chuckled and snickered.  
"You know, Captain, I still couldn't quite believe Q became a   
father when you told me about his son after the Q Civil War." He shook   
his head. "It's still somewhat odd for me now to see an immortal being   
with a child, especially a being the likes of Q."  
Calming down from her laughter, which she mentally admitted she   
needed, Kathryn just smiled at her friend and first officer.   
"Everything changes, Chakotay. People and things change over time, even   
the Q despite their beliefs."  
After another moment with eyes connected, Kathryn broke their  
contact by walking to her desk with a happy expression. "I'll contact   
Ensigns Bristow and York to see whether they won't mind having their   
wedding in a few days. It shouldn't take too long to arrange   
everything, since most of the preparations were nearly done before the   
Borg, from what Neelix told me then."  
"As I said before, I'm sure they wouldn't mind at all,   
Captain," the Indian stated with a grin. Seeing Janeway in a happy mood   
certainly made his day.  
Smiling at him while she sat down on her desk chair, the   
Captain held up the PADD. "Thanks for the report."  
"*Anytime*, Captain," Chakotay repeated Q's earlier reply.   
After seeing Janeway chuckle when she immediately got the reference to   
his comment, the Commander left the Ready Room and strolled back to the  
Bridge, while Janeway contacted Voyager's *first* future husband and   
wife.  
  
"By the powers vested in me by Starfleet Command and as Captain  
of Voyager, I now declare you *husband* and *wife*." Janeway, in her   
red dress uniform, smiled at the happy, just-married Freddie and   
Malista Bristow. The husband was wearing his yellow dress uniform,   
while the wife wore a simple white wedding gown. "You may kiss the   
bride, Fred."  
Fred complied, and the entire holo-Resort roared with cheers   
and applause as the Bristows kissed with love. The guests all faced the   
shore while the Captain was facing the Resort.  
Breaking apart a few moments later, Freddie turned and shook   
hands with his Best Man, Ensign Anthony Forrest of Security. The   
security officer was also in a dress uniform, as were all the guests.  
Malista hugged Ensign Samantha Wildman, who was her witness and   
was dressed in a simple blue dress. It was hard for Sam to say whether   
she was a Matron or Maid of Honor. Her husband was at the other side of   
the galaxy and saying `Maid' made it sound like she had given up on   
him, so Sam settled for just being called a witness.   
Turning back to each other, the Bristows, arm in arm, walked   
off the small raised platform together with Sam and Anthony just behind   
them. They joined the crew in celebration. Everyone was coming forth to   
offer his or her congratulations.  
Closing her book, Captain Janeway looked on as she watched her   
crew crowd around Voyager's *first* married couple since arriving in   
the Delta Quadrant. She felt happy to see the crew's morale was high.   
The crisis with the Borg was now long forgotten, even though it was   
only four days ago.   
Walking off the platform, Janeway was met by Chakotay and   
Tuvok, who were in dress uniforms as well. Her grin was still evident   
on her face. "I say Voyager's first wedding shall be remembered quite   
well. Don't you agree, gentlemen?"   
"No doubt about it, Captain," Chakotay answered with dimples   
showing. "I have a feeling that you'll be conducting more weddings down   
the road before Voyager arrives back in the Alpha Quadrant. I'll not be   
surprised if the *next* wedding will be held next year."  
Tuvok raised an eyebrow. "Your statements do not have any facts   
to support them, Commander. We never know *when* we'll return to   
the Federation. We may yet find another wormhole that will lead back to   
the Alpha Quadrant or it may perhaps take the remaining 60 years under   
our own power."  
Kathryn shook her head and chuckled as she looked at her old   
friend. "Logically, you're correct, Tuvok, but I'm with Chakotay on his   
*hunch*. We may never *know* when we'll return home. As you stated, it   
may take 60 years or we'll perhaps find another wormhole. Nobody knows   
how long it will be. Fred and Malista decided to get on with their   
lives, not knowing when they'll return to the loved ones they left   
behind.   
"This wedding will tell the crew to move on. It'll be up to the   
individual to decide to let go or hold on." Her gaze turned to   
Chakotay. "The crew can't wait for a short-cut that may never happen,   
Tuvok." She paused for a moment and looked at the gathered crew as they   
celebrated. The two men followed her gaze. "It's best to *let* go."  
As the three Voyager officers looked at the crew, Kathryn's   
mind wandered. When she was trapped on New Earth with Chakotay, she   
remembered Chakotay's words about letting go. Then she had let go for   
a while, but when Voyager returned, the love in her heart for Mark had  
returned as well. Her *hope* to be reunited with him had come back as   
well.  
Now she realized that her feelings for him were no longer the  
same. The question for her was *what* was there now. Seeing the   
Bristows together made her heart ache. She felt very much *alone* now.  
Kathryn felt a hand on her arm. "Captain? Kathryn?" Chakotay's   
voice brought her mind back. "Are you all right?"  
She turned and saw the concerned expression on the Indian's  
face. Tuvok's face was expressionless, but his eyes showed his concern   
as well.   
She gave a small smile. "I'm fine. Just wool gathering." She   
immediately changed the subject. "Come on you two, let's see what   
Neelix made for the buffet dinner." She strolled off toward the buffet   
table  
Chakotay turned to Tuvok. "She's hiding something. You saw her  
face. She was *not* thinking any happy thoughts at the moment."  
Tuvok nodded his head. "I agree. Perhaps the wedding reminded  
the Captain of those she left behind on Earth."  
As they walked toward the buffet table where Janeway was   
placing her dinner on her plate, Chakotay told Tuvok, "No `perhaps',   
Tuvok. She was *definitely* thinking of those she has left behind.   
*Especially* one particular person."   
The Vulcan knew what person the First Officer was referring to,   
so he again nodded his head. "Indeed."   
After Janeway ate her dinner in the company of Chakotay and   
Tuvok, she walked around the Resort and mingled with her crew. She   
laughed and conversed as though she was happy. She was, in a way, happy   
for her crew, but she didn't allow herself to show her weakness.   
Janeway didn't want to ruin this joyful day.  
Realizing nobody was watching her, Kathryn slipped out of   
Holodeck 1 and returned to her quarters almost two hours after she   
married the Bristows. It was 2130 hours when the door closed behind   
her, and she was finally alone.  
Entering her bedroom, she took off her dress uniform jacket and   
hung it in her closet. She begun pacing the room since her emotions   
were in turmoil.  
Gods, Kathryn! she spoke to herself mentally. You should be   
*happy* today. Two of your own crew have just been married and all you   
could think about is Mark! She stopped.  
Mark. Janeway closed her eyes. I haven't thought of you   
since Chakotay and I were picked up on New Earth. I had hopes I'd be   
reunited with you, but today... Her mind suddenly stopped talking when   
reality hit her hard.  
She brought a hand over her mouth as she realized her feelings.   
It seems I don't love him anymore. I have to accept the high   
possibility that he has moved on with his life. Her misting gray-blue   
eyes opened as she turned to stare at the passing stars out her   
windows. I *have* to let go.  
Coming to a final decision, Kathryn Janeway slowly approached  
her night table, where a framed photograph rested. She had moved the   
photograph here from her Ready Room a month after Samantha Wildman told   
her of her pregnancy.   
Picking up it up, she looked down at the face of her boyfriend and   
fiance, Mark Hobbs Johnson and her dog, Bear.   
"Mark," she started with a soft voice before she gave a smile.   
"Today, two of my own crew have gotten married." Kathryn gave a soft   
chuckle. "It seems like only yesterday since we were pulled into the   
Delta Quadrant by the Caretaker. Then the Maquis crew joined Voyager   
once their ship was destroyed. It took a while but we've learned to   
accept each other and are able to work together."  
Her voice returned to normal as she wiped her eyes. "During the   
past two and an half years, I kept hope alive that I would see you   
again, Mark. However, I realized when I looked at Voyager's first   
married couple, that we, Voyager's crew, can't keep hoping our loved   
ones will still be waiting for us back home.  
"The crew are *all* settling in for the long haul. We were   
lucky days ago, to find the wormhole that brought us 10 years closer to   
our goal; all thanks to Q. However, this still leaves us with 57 years   
to go." She shook her head. "Still too damn long."   
Janeway began pacing. "Fred and Malista's marriage is the   
beginning of the great changes Voyager will go through during the years   
to come. Other marriages will be made and eventually children will be   
born." She stopped and looked at the picture. "I don't know how we'll   
cope with many children, but it would be wrong not to allow the crew to   
continue on with their lives, *especially* if our journey does take 57   
years."  
Her head lifted up to look out the windows. "*Home*. We'll   
never forget the home we left behind, Mark, but I've noticed that most   
of the crew have made a home *here*... on Voyager. As Captain, I made a   
promise to them I'll get them back to the Alpha Quadrant and everything   
we're familiar with, and surely I'm going to *keep* that promise. They   
all know I'll get Voyager and them back safely some day." Her voice   
cracked as her eyes closed. "*Some day*."  
With lips trembling, a tear slid down her cheek before she   
opened her eyes again to gaze at the picture. "You must have gone on   
with your life, Mark. By now, Mom, Phoebe, my niece and nephews, and   
you have given me up for dead. After two and a half years, I shouldn't   
expect you to hold on. You're as human as everyone else." Janeway bowed   
her head and closed her eyes. "And frankly, so am I." She felt her   
cheeks were beginning to get wet as the teardrops rolled down them even   
faster. Her whole body was trembling now, her free hand balled into a   
hard fist.  
Turning, Kathryn opened her eyes to guide herself to the room's   
bureau. Her tears were still coming, her face in emotional agony.   
Opening a middle drawer all the way, she pushed aside some things to   
make room for the photo. Afterward, she looked one last time at the  
photo of Mark and Bear.  
"I *have* to let you go, Mark. I *have* to continue with my  
life. Gods, I will be alone, but it's for the best. I'll *not* become   
involved with a member of my crew. It'll be against everything I stand   
for, but I know I *can't* hold on to you."  
The frame began shaking in her trembling hand. Her tears were   
now pouring out of her dropping onto the framed picture while she was  
sniffing. "I *loved* you, Mark. You'll always have a place in my heart,   
but I realize I no longer love you as intimatly as before.   
"I know you promised me that you'd take care of Bear, so I know   
you'll continue to care for her as your own."  
She bent down and placed a kiss on the face of Mark on the   
picture. "Good-bye, Mark. I wish you well in your life. I hope to see   
you again... *someday*." With that said, Kathryn placed the photograph   
in the very back of the drawer, covered it up, and slowly closed   
the drawer on her past.  
By the time the drawer was fully closed with a soft thump,   
Kathryn Janeway's heart was breaking and aching tremendously. She could   
not stop the downpour from her eyes. Voyager's commanding officer   
slowly walked the short distance to her bed and fell face first onto   
the top covers. For that one moment, she *fully* let go.  
Kathryn loudly sobbed out her grief and loss as her tears   
flowed constantly, wetting the bed. Her hands clutched the bed covers,   
as her body was racked with mourning and sadness.  
Mentally, she knew it was for the best. For Voyager, for her   
crew, and... for herself. Janeway wouldn't *dare* allow the crew to   
see her such a state, so she knew it was best to let go and mourn here,  
in the privacy of her quarters, before *Captain* Janeway resumed   
command again tomorrow.  
For several minutes, Kathryn poured out all the sorrow and  
frustration she had into the covers. Her heart aching for comfort but   
unable to find it. By the time her tears slowed to just a trickle, her   
body was no longer shaking and her mind was more at ease than it had   
been before she had entered her quarters.   
She sat up and wiped the remaining moisture from her face. Her   
eyes were still a bit misty, but now they were a bit swollen and red  
from her bawling.   
Standing, Janeway took off her boots and the remainder of her   
uniform before she donned her long peach nightgown. After unpinning   
her mussed up hair, she crawled under the bed covers.  
As her head lay on the pillow, she closed her eyes and waited   
for sleep to claim her. She felt emotionally and physically drained   
from her crying jag. With a melancholy heart, Janeway fell into an   
uneasy slumber, knowing tomorrow would be a start of a *new* day for   
her and... a new life.   
  
The next day, after the Bristow's wedding, everyone on Voyager   
was in high spirits as they all went about their daily business. All   
except one, Chakotay couldn't help but notice.   
The Captain arrived on the Bridge looking chipper and perfectly  
okay, but the Commander *saw* that her gray-blues had no sparkle or   
light in them. Those beautiful eyes were cold and closed when he gazed   
into them. He knew that Janeway was *still* thinking about someone and   
that someone was Mark.  
About two hours after Alpha shift had started, Captain Janeway   
gave the Bridge to Chakotay while she retreated into her Ready Room to   
go over the ship's reports.   
Chakotay wanted to help Janeway deal with whatever demons the  
wedding and thinking of Mark had brought out into the open. He felt   
concern for her, not just as her first officer but also as a close   
friend.  
An hour after she entered the Ready Room, the Indian received  
the latest medical report on the crew's health. He figured that this   
was the best time to try to figure out what was bothering his   
commanding officer.  
Getting up from his chair, the determined man, with report in   
hand, walked to the Ready Room and pressed the door chime. "Come in,"   
he heard the usual reply.   
Strolling casually into the room, he saw Janeway was sitting on  
the couch, reading a PADD. She glanced up to him. "What is it,   
Chakotay?"  
He walked up the few steps to the upper level of the room and   
held up the medical report. "The latest medical report on the crew's   
health." He handed the PADD to her.  
She glanced at it and gave a small smile before looking up at   
him. "Thanks, Chakotay."  
"Captain... Kathryn," Chakotay said with worry in his voice.   
Kathryn knew what he was about to say and braced herself. "As your   
friend and first officer, I couldn't help but notice something *was*   
bothering you yesterday. What were you thinking of-"  
"It's *none* of your business, Chakotay," Janeway cut him off   
with her command voice. She returned to reading the PADD she held in   
her hand before he had entered her room.  
"Kathryn," he continued in a soft voice, "you're in *pain*. I   
want to help you."  
Her command mask was solidly in place, but he saw anger in her  
eyes now. "As I stated, it's none of your business, *Commander*. I'm   
fine. Dismissed."  
Sighing, Chakotay complied. "Aye, Captain." Turning, he left   
the Ready Room and returned to his seat on the Bridge.   
He knew about her stubbornness and it sometimes was a nuisance   
when it came to her mental health. Janeway would hide behind the   
Captain's mask and continue on in the name of duty and dedication to   
the crew. This galled him.  
If Kathryn will not confide in me, perhaps she'll open up to  
one other. He returned to work with a plan.  
  
"So that's the story. Kathryn would not open up to me and I   
believe you're the best person to get her talking. She trusts you."   
Chakotay said with a sad smile. "After all, you're her best female   
friend on board, Kes."   
The long-haired blond Ocampa standing next to the long rows of   
vegetables and fruit in the hydroponics bay gave a small smile. "You're  
right that she considers me her best *female* friend, Commander, but   
that's no guarantee that she'll talk to me, either. You know as well as   
I do how stubborn she can be."  
The First Officer chuckled. "Stubborn as a rock sometimes." His   
face turned sober. "At least try, Kes. The crew needs the Captain   
physically as well as *mentally* fit as a fiddle."  
Kes nodded in agreement. "I'll see what I can do. You know as   
well as I, that she needs time to sort through her feelings. Even if   
she talks to me, she'll still need time, so don't push her, Chakotay."   
She gave a grin. "The Captain Janeway we all know and care about will   
slowly come back."  
This time it was his turn to nod in understanding. "Thank you,   
Kes." He glanced at his wrist chronometer. "I'd better get back to the   
Bridge. My lunch break is almost over."  
"I'll see you later, Commander," Kes waved to him as he   
departed the hydroponics bay.   
  
Sitting in her Ready Room's desk's chair, Captain Janeway   
continued her duties relentlessly even several hours after she had   
returned from lunch. However, her mind couldn't help but wander back   
to the conversation she'd had with Chakotay in the morning. The   
thoughts disturbed her concentration and authority as she stopped   
reading the warp engines' diagnostic report visible on her computer   
screen.  
Outside she looked calm but she was not tranquil inside.   
Chakotay had no *right* to ask me about my feelings! I trust him, but   
this is something that doesn't concern him! I can handle this alone   
and I *will* get through it okay! She was boiling mad.  
Janeway picked up the cup of coffee she had replicated and took  
a sip. Knowing him, he'll not give up so easily. I wonder what he'll   
do next. Her mind went through all the possible scenarios that   
Chakotay would do to help her.  
The door chimed and Kathryn sighed. Here he comes. She bid   
the person to enter. To her surprise, instead of Chakotay, the   
door opened to reveal Kes. Janeway gave a small grin as the Ocampa   
walked inside. Of all the moves, I didn't think Chakotay would send   
Kes. She knew that she couldn't brush off Kes as easily as she had  
Chakotay, since there was very little to hide from the three-year old   
Ocampa.   
"What can I do for you, Kes?" Kathryn asked with her best   
polite and caring face.  
Kes gave a warm teasing smile. "I think you *know* what I'm   
here for, Kathryn."  
Janeway gave a lopsided grin and shook her head. "That man is   
incorrigible."  
"You should hear him say the same thing about you," the medical   
assistant commented with a chuckle.  
Kathryn laughed for the first time since yesterday's mourning  
episode after the wedding. It felt good to laugh outright. Shaking her   
head, the Captain kept her gaze on her friend. The Captain knew that   
she had told Chakotay about Mark while on New Earth, but this time it   
was different. Perhaps telling a *female* friend would be better than   
telling a male friend.  
Janeway got up and indicated that Kes follow her up the small   
staircase to the couch. The two friends sat down facing each other. Kes   
began the conversation.  
"Chakotay told me what he thought you're going through since   
the wedding yesterday. Kathryn, I thought you had gotten over your   
feelings for your boyfriend long ago." Kes' concerned blue eyes held   
Janeway's troubled gray-blues.   
"Not exactly, Kes." She sighed and began her story. "When   
Chakotay and I were stranded on New Earth, I was slowly letting go of   
Mark and allowing Chakotay to enter my life bit by bit. However, the  
return to Voyager changed all that."  
Kes took a guess. "You mean that returning to Voyager caused   
you to withdraw Chakotay from your life?"  
The Captain nodded. "Yes. He and I can't be involved intimately   
as long as I'm Captain and he's the First Officer. Besides, Voyager's   
return renewed my feeling of hope that I would be reunited with Mark."  
Understanding, the Ocampa pressed on. "So to prevent your  
working relationship with Chakotay from failing, you let him go while   
you replaced him by putting Mark back in your heart."  
A tear trickled down Janeway's cheek, and the sight caused Kes  
to reach out and grab her friend's hand. "That's correct, Kes," Janeway   
sniffed as she wiped her eyes. She had thought she was done with these  
feelings last night. "It was safe for me to let Mark back in while   
distancing myself from Chakotay. Chakotay and I had a chat during our   
second day back on Voyager and we agreed to remain best friends for   
sake of our command positions and the good of the crew."   
Silence came to the room for a few moments, so Kes gently  
coached her. "And?"  
Janeway turned to the windows. "Fred's and Malista's wedding  
made me realize ,yet again, the situation Voyager is in. Made me   
realize that the crew is forging a new life on board. The wedding   
showed me front-and-center that the crew has accepted their fate and   
has let go of everything they had left behind in the Alpha Quadrant   
holding only the memories within themselves. Can I do less than they   
have?"  
Closing her eyes she continued. "I realized that I *can't* hold   
on to Mark for the rest of my life. It was foolish for me to have let   
him back in my heart when I was slowly letting him go. I decided to   
continue on with *my* life and allow Mark to go on with his." Her eyes   
were misting. "Last night I *finally* let Mark go from my heart, Kes."   
Kathryn opened her eyes and faced her friend as tears started   
running down her cheeks. "I placed his picture in the back of my   
bureau drawer and let *him* go. I cried for the loss of him from my   
heart. I felt so very *alone*."  
Kes quickly hugged Kathryn, who returned the gesture. The  
Captain didn't mind since it was quite comforting. "Kathryn, it's okay   
to let go of your feelings once in awhile," Kes softly mentioned as   
they embraced. "The crew and I highly respect *Captain* Janeway, but   
*Kathryn* Janeway needs to come out once in a while or the Captain's  
performance will slowly suffer."   
They disengaged and held each other's eyes while the petite  
blond grasped the redhead's hands. "You're *not* alone, Kathryn. There   
are many people on board who *care* for you as a person, not just as   
the Captain. Neelix and I, Chakotay, Tuvok, Tom, Harry, B'Elanna, and   
The Doctor consider you our *friend*. We want you to be happy and we'll   
do anything we can to help you with your problems."  
"Oh, Kes," Kathryn whispered with a small smile and a sniff,   
before she hugged the Ocampa again. "I'm so glad I have you as a   
friend. Talking about this to Chakotay or Tuvok wouldn't seem right to   
me."  
A smile came to Kes' face. "I understand. A man wouldn't able   
to understand what you went through as easily as another woman can."  
Janeway chuckled and smiled broadly. "Indeed." She pulled back   
and held Kes' hands firmly. Kes saw her eyes were twinkling in a manner  
that matched her smile. "Thank you, Kes."  
"You're welcome, Kathryn," the Ocampa replied with gladness in   
her eyes and heart. "Besides this is what friends are for. You're   
welcome to talk to me anytime."  
Still smiling, Kes stood up. "I think you'll be all right now.  
I'll leave you to your work and your thoughts. I'll see you later."  
"Thanks again, Kes," Janeway said before her friend left the   
Ready Room.  
With a small smile, the Captain turned back to gaze out the   
windows as the stars streaked by. Kathryn still felt the emptiness that   
loving Mark had filled, but it was far less painful than yesterday. She  
was reminded of the good trusted friends on board who cared for her,   
and that knowledge gave her an inner sense of peace.  
Kathryn Janeway knew she would be okay in the years ahead. As   
long as her friends were there, she could prevail against loneliness   
and despair.  
With that knowledge in mind, Captain Janeway returned to her  
desk and her work. The Captain was better than before now that Kathryn   
had resolved her personal problem and was at ease.  
As she worked, a thought came to her mind.   
The crew had moved on, and now so had she. Voyager was now   
spiritual, its own entity, separated from the Alpha Quadrant. They   
would always have the hope of returning some day, but they were no   
longer counting on that hope to actually occur. Their past would always   
be remembered, but it no longer held them bonded in heart and soul.   
Janeway turned to the windows once more. She knew that like   
Voyager flying past the stars, the crew... her *family*... were not   
looking back but looking *forward*. Heart and soul heading forward...   
to the *future*!   
  
The end  
  
**************************************************************   
STAR TREK: VOYAGER is copyright of Paramount Inc. (1997)   
"Moving On" and all characters, not created   
by Paramount, are copyright of George Padovan (November 1997)   
**************************************************************   
Voyager: New Life series, so far, in order of series'   
chronological history:   
  
"Moving On" (rated PG) [January `98]  
"Next Step" (rated PG-13) [April '97]   
"The Joining of Hearts" (rated R) [June '97]   
"Unexpected Start" (rated PG-13) [August '97]  
"A Day on the Long Winding Road" (rated R) [September '97]   
"The Bonds of Family" (rated PG-13) [October '97]  
"Love is Forever" (rated R) [March '97]   
"A Day of Motherly Thanks" (rated PG) [May '97]  
**************************************************************  



End file.
